Boot tree for riding and like boots



Jan. 1S, 1966 J, E. HYAMS BOOT TREE FOR RIDING AND LIKE BOOTS 'FiledMarch 8, 1963 ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,229,314 BOT TREE FRRIDING AND LIKE BOTS Joseph Edward Hyams, Edgbaston, Birmingham,England, assigner to Vic-Tree Products (Birmingham) Limited, Birmingham,England, a British company Filed Mar. S, 1963, Ser. No. 263,895 Ciaimspriority, application Great Britain, Mar. 17, 1962, 19,309/62 2 Claims.(Cl. 12-114.6)

The present invention has relation to a boot tree for riding and likeboots of the type wherein two substantially semi-cylindrical inwardlyfacing shaping members are operatively connected so that they can beplaced in the leg of the boot and subsequently opened outwardly to holdthe boot in shape and be contracted when desired for removal.

The present invention has for its object a simple and eiiicient tree ofthe type aforesaid requiring little effort for its ope-ration.

According to the present invention there is provided a boot tree forriding and like boots comprising two substantially semi-cylindricalinwardly facing shaping members individually connected to the lowerextremities of a scissor-like operating member the upper extremities ofwhich operatively protrude beyond the extremities of the same shapingmem-bers, spring means being incorporated for normally forcing theshaping members apart.

In operation the shaping members are contracted by the manual operationof the upper extremities of the scissors `against the action of thespring and are then placed in the leg of the boot and the said membersallowed to be forced apart to shape the leg by virtue of the spring. Aclosing movement of the operative part of the scissors closes theshaping members and enables them to be readily withdrawn. A fingeroperable catch which may be in the form of an automatic gravity catch ispreferably employed so as to secure the linger operable upperextremities of the scissors with the shaping members in the closedposition.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into practice reference may be had to the accompanyingexplanatory drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a part sectional elevation of the boot tree in the contractedor out of use condition.

FIG. 2 illustrates the boot tree in the expanded or open condition forshaping the jack boot, and

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on line 3 3 of FIG. 1.

In an embodiment of the present invention two shaping members a are notstrictly semi-cylindrical but taper slightly from top to bottom, asillustrated. Attached to the inner facing of each of the said shaping4members substantially centrally is a bracket with two lugs a1 to whichthe lower extremity b1 in each instance of the scissor-like operatingmember b is attached and the arms of said member may 'be of inwardlyfacing channel section and they may laccommodate a closely Wound coilspring c of arch formation the extremities of which are attached to lugsb2 on the member b, the spring tending to move the shaping members aapart. The

3,229,314 Patented `lam. 18, 1966 upper extremities b3 of thescissor-like operating member b are advantageously of outwardly facingchannel section, the extreme ends being of outwardly facing hookformation b4 to form finger pieces. Pivoted to one upper part is a catchmember d which operates in a slot in the other handle part, said catchmember having two notch members d1, d2 for locating the scissor-likeoperating member b with the handles closed, FIG. l, and the shapingImembers in adjacency or, alternatively, locating the tree with thehandles open, FIG. 2, and the shaping members a spaced apart the catch dbeing advantageously of a gravity character, and having a lingermanipulative parts so that two lingers can engage b4 and one iingerdisengaged from b4 when desired to engage d3.

In use the scissor-like operating member is closed by hand to allow thecatch d to gravitate to lock the device in the closed position, FIG. 1,and the shaping members now in adjacency are introduced into the leg ofthe boot. The catch is released by a lfinger engaging d3 so that theshaping members a are forced apart by the spring c to bear against theleg to hold it in shape. When it is desired to remove the tree thehandles b4 of the scissor-like member b are closed, the gravity catchfalling so that notch dl comes in-to operation, in which position theshaping members are in adjacency and can be readily slid from the leg ofthe boot. e represents springs introduced between pivot pins a2 and thelimbs of the member b and these springs e not only tend to close thedevice but properly locate the members a in relation rto .the limbsofthe member b.

I claim:

1. A boot tree for riding and like boots comprising, in combination, apair of substantially semi-cylindrical inwardly facing shaping members,a scissors-like operating member having .a pair of upper and a pair oflower extremities, pivotal connection between the lower extremities ofthe scissors-like member and each shaping member, spring means in saidscissors-like member tending to separate said shaping members, saidspring means comprising a coil spring attached to the lower extremitiesof said member and positioned in inwardly facing channel shaped parts ofsaid member, and ya two step pivotal catch mounted on one of said upperextremities of the scissors-like member and adapted to engage a portionof the other of said pair of upper extremities for limiting theseparation of said shaping members.

2. A boot tree according to claim 1 having springs engaging saidscissors-like member and said shaping members for resiliently limitingpivotal movement of the shaping members on said pivotal connections.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 801,040 10/1905OCarroll 12-1l4.6 X 2,105,395 1/1938 Baas 12-114.6

FOREIGN PATENTS 213,895 6/ 1941 Switzerland. 2l 8,633 4/ 1942Switzerland.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

1. A BOOT TREE FOR RIDING AND LIKE BOOTS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, APAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CYLINDRICAL INWARDLY FACING SHAPING MEMBERS,A SCISSORS-LIKE OPERATING MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF UPPER AND A PAIR OFLOWER EXTREMITIES, PIVOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LOWER EXTREMITIES OFTHE SCISSORS-LIKE MEMBER AND EACH SHAPING MEMBER, SPRING MEANS IN SAIDSCISSORS-LIKE MEMBER TENDING TO SEPARATE SAID SHAPING MEMBERS, SAIDSPRING MEANS COMPRISING A COIL SPRING ATTACHED TO THE LOWER EXTREMITIESOF SAID MEMBER AND POSITIONED INWARDLY FACING CHANNEL SHAPED PARTS OFSAID MEMBER, AND A TWO STEP PIVOTAL CATCH MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID UPPEREXTREMITIES OF THE SCISSORS-LIKE MEMBER AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A PORTIONOF THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OF UPPER EXTREMITIES FOR LIMITING THESEPARATION OF SAID SHAPING MEMBERS.